Folding boat seat with adjustable back rest



April 21, 1953 J. E.'MDONALD ,6

FOLDING BOAT SEAT WITH ADJUSTABLE BACK REST Filed Jan. 11, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 21 a 38 INVENTOR. 24 23 JOSEPH E. MCDONALD ATI'CI RN EYS April 21, 1953' J. E.'MbONALD FOLDING BOAT WT WITH ADJUSTABLE BACK REST Filed Jan. 11, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. JOSYEPH E. Mc DONALD Patented Apr. 21, 1953 STAT ES FOLDING BOA 'DFS EAT WITHEA'DJUS TABLER BACK REST" foldtopae position. parallelxwithgtheg seat-:anmalso adaptedito a be: supported; in; inclinedlpositionsr for providing aback rest.

The purpose of this invent-ionjs-toiprovides folding; seat particularly adapted for fishermen that may be carried to a boat and readily positioned: ona seat. thereof-with; theback. opened to a comfortablenositionfor providing a back rest.

Various" types of adjustable backs hav been provided. in seat structures; but where the back is:-carnied*-:by the seat-the-mounting means therefor 'are either. heav or doinot: permit; the back to nest against the surface of the seat. With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a pair of unique hinge elements for pivotally mounting the back on a seat wherein the back may be suspended in adjusted positions on a pair of cams actuated by a crank at one side of the seat and locked by a gear and ratchet pin.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for hinging a back to a seat whereby the back is positively held in adjusted positions by cams j ournaled in the seat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a back supporting structure in a seat whereby the back is positively held in different positions and also adapted to fold upon a seat in which the structure may be used With seats of different types and designs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a seat structure with an adjustable back wherein the back is positively held in adjusted positions, which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a seat having a rectangular shaped frame with spring clips on the lower surfaces of side bars thereof, a pair of brackets mounted on the inner surfaces of the side bars and having upwardly extended ends, a back pivotally mounted in the upwardly extended ends of the-brackets on a shaft journaled in the side bars of the seat and having a crank on one end, a gear on the other end of the shaft positioned to engage a pin extended from the adjacent side bar, and cams positioned to engage the lower ends of the sides of the back.

Other features and advantages of the invention 'will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

F ure 1-; is a. s de evatianal: QW Qfi he seat illu trating: the scat: p si ioned: on. a; s at. f? a boatwiththeseatnf; he boa shown nzscotio figurezkisa plan-vi ofathaseata iitnth ibaok nositiqnedas showninfl urfi L.

Fi ure 3. is: a cross; section; hrou h: he: sca takenion line 3-3 of figure-2.1

Fi ure; 4;. is; a: similar: section showing; th sea with the back foldedupomthe upper urfaceao theseat;v

Figure 5; is a: verticahsectiom through: theise takenonline 5.5;of Figure 2i ured is;azdetailishowinaone ofthabraQkets for; pivotally mounting the back, upon the seat;

R fe r ow to he: d aw ngs; wher in. lik r f ren e haracters deno e: c rrespondin part the portable folding: boatseatnfi thisinifientioirinludes a; scattpanei I20; a back-1 panel; IJ-I:.. rackets- I2 and I3, a shaft I 4 having a crank I5 on one end and a gear I6 on the other and cams I! and I8 on the intermediate part of the shaft.

The seat II] is formed with a frame having a front bar I9 with side bars 20 and 2| and spring clips 22 and 23 are mounted on the lower surfaces of the side bars by screws 24. The springs 22 and 23 hold the seat on a seat 25 of a row boat or outboard motor boat or the like so that the seat may be carried to the boat by the fishermen, mounted on the seat of the boat by the spring clips for use, and readily removed after use.

The back II is provided with a frame having an end bar 26 with side bars 21 and 28 and, as illustrated in Figure 3 the back is pivotally mounted by pins 29 and 30 in openings 3| in upwardly extended ends 32 of the brackets I 2 and I3. The brackets I2 and I3 are similar and the same reference numerals are used for the openings and parts of both brackets. The brackets are secured to the inner surfaces of the side bars 26 and 2| of the seat by screws 33 in openings 34 and 35 and the brackets are also provided with openings 36 in which the shaft I4 is journaled.

The lower end of the back extends through the side bars of the seat, as illustrated in Figure 3 and the lower ends of the bars 27 and 28 of the back are connected by a cross bar 31.

The cams I1 and I8 are positioned to engage the surfaces of the side bars 21 and 28, and the gear I6 is positioned to engage a ratchet pin 38. With the parts positioned in this manner the shaft I4 is moved inwardly by the crank I 5 until the gear I6 disengages the pin 38 and at this time the cams may be turned by the shaft and crank to adjust the position of the back and when the back is in the proper position the crank is released whereby the spring 39 actuates the crank outwardly, bringing the gear l6 into engagement with the pin 38 so that the cams are locked in the position of retaining the back in the adjusted position.

By this mean the back may readily be folded to a position upon the seat, as illustrated in Figure 4, for transporting the seat and when the seat is in position on the seat of a boat the back is raised and adjusted to a comfortable position by the crank through the cams.

The seat panels are shown as rabbeted in the end and side bars of the frames and the inner edge of the seat panel In is held by a cross bar 40 spaced from the ends of the side bars 20 and 2|.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A seat having spring clips on the lower surface, a back pivotally mounted in the seat and positioned to extend upwardly and also to fold to a position upon and parallel to the seat, a shaft journaled in the seat, cams on the shaft positioned to engage the face of the lower end of the back, a ratchet on one end of the shaft for retaining the cams in adjusted positions, and a crank on one end of the shaft.

2. A seat having spring clips on the lower sur face, a back pivotally mounted in the seat and positioned to extend upwardly and also to fold to a position upon and parallel to the seat, a shaft journaled in the seat, cams on the shaft positioned to engage the face of the lower end of the back, a ratchet on one end of the shaft for retaining the cams in adjusted positions, a crank on one end of the shaft, and a spring on the shaft for urging the ratchet elements in locking relation.

3. A seat having a horizontally disposed panel with front and side bars, brackets with upwardly extended rear ends mounted on the rear ends of the side bars of the seat, a back pivotally mounted in the upwardly extended ends of the brackets, a shaft extended through the seat and journaled in the brackets, cams on the shaft positioned to engage the face of the back, a gear on the shaft positioned to coact with a pin on the seat for locking the shaft with the cams in adjusted positions, a crank on one end of the shaft, and a spring for urging the shaft with the gear in engagement with the pin.

4. A seat having a horizontally disposed panel with front and side bars, brackets with upwardly extended rear ends mounted on the rear ends of the side bars of the seat, a back pivotally mounted in the upwardly extended ends of the brackets, a shaft extended through the seat and journaled in the brackets, cams on the shaft positioned to engage the face of the back, a gear on the shaft positioned to coact with a pin on the seat for locking the shaft with the cams in adjusted positions, a crank on one end of the shaft, a spring for urging the shaft with the gear in engagement with the pin, and spring clips on the lower surfaces of the side bars of the seat for retaining the seat on a seat of a boat.

JOSEPH E. MCDONALD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 271,857 Johnson et a1. Feb. 6, 1883 1,721,366 Backstrom July 16, 1929 

